Geraldine Gimblet claimed the top prize in a $2m scratch card lottery. But when she went to buy the card, the shop assistant told her they didn't have any left.

"I asked him to double check because I like the crossword games the best. He found the last one!" she told Florida lottery officials in an account they published in a news release.

Her daughter Lawrencina Jackson described the fortuitous timing. "The day before my mom bought this ticket, I rang the bell and walked out of the hospital after completing my last treatment for breast cancer," she said.

"My mom had taken out her life savings to take care of me when I was sick. I'm just so happy for her!"

Ms Gimblet told ABC's Good Morning America putting her savings towards her daughter's cancer treatment was an easy decision.

"I really didn't think about it. I just did what I had to do," she said.

Ms Gimblet was joined by her daughter and granddaughter when she collected the winnings.

As she chose to claim the prize as a lump sum, she will take home $1.6m (£1.3m).